Letterpress, Soul Searching and Keeping It Real

Today’s the day, big announcement! I'm blogging, but I'm not a blogger. Maybe the term "blogging" intimidates me. So I'm just going to write about what I know. Here’s an overview of what I plan on sharing here on the Harken Press blog and my general point of view…

My windmill letterpress, called The Beast.

Letterpress PrintingI love the craft of letterpress. Proud paper nerd here. I love going out into the studio and getting my hands dirty and creating beautiful stationery. I get lost out there and time flies by. I know not everyone shares my passion for the letterpress process, but in case you’re curious to see what it’s all about or think giant old machinery is cool, I’ll be sharing a more in depth behind-the-scenes look into the Harken Press studio.

MotherhoodI’m new to the Mom game. So far, I can tell you the struggle between being an solopreneur and a working Mom is real (at least for me). I knew juggling a baby and a business would be a challenge, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Things like Mom guilt and daycare are all new to me. So in the spirit of solidarity and feminism, I’m going to share the not-so-pretty realness, as I stumble through work-life balance in hopes that it will make someone else out there feel a little better. I got you girl. BTW, there’s no such thing as “work-life balance”.

Business TipsAnything that might be helpful to other small businesses in the creative industry. Social media, marketing, networking, software, giveaways, organization – all of the things I've learned the hard way!

InspirationThe stories behind my product designs. Hits and misses. Unexpected problems or successes along the way. There's a lot of thought that goes into my designs and I realize people can't read my mind, so this is where I’ll explain a bit more.

I hope this blog will be a way for me to stay motivated, to share my experiences, and push myself out of my comfort zone. A year ago, the thought of starting a blog would have made me feel ill, like physically sick in the stomach. I don’t know what’s changed exactly. Maybe I’ve gained confidence as I settle into my 30s or maybe after having a baby I realized I don’t give a sh*t about the little things, but I’m diving in. It will also give me an excuse to draw more. Quick little doodles make me happy.

Screw the metrics! It’s not about the numbers – how may view, shares, or comments this blog gets. That’s not what this is about. I’m doing this for me. I have something to say and I’m putting it out there for anyone who’s interested. I’ve changed a lot in the past year. I’ve been emotionally pushed and pulled, begrudgingly growing. Soul searching hasn’t been easy, but I’ve decided that sharing will be part of my healing.

I often feel like I have no idea what I’m doing – in business, in parenting. I’ve learned to be okay with that feeling. As I’m writing this, I feel it more than ever. I’m not a good writer by any means, but I am good at being honest and real. Being a solopreneur has it’s ups and downs, more like a very loopy rollercoaster. There’s so much glorification of entrepreneurship, and I love that too, but you don’t see as much about the other side. The harder days. Don’t worry, I’m not a complete downer, quite the opposite. It’s just important to me to be real, even if it comes with a slight vulnerability hangover.